Turn-on fluorescence sensing of cyanide ions in aqueous solution

Recent Advances in Therapeutic Applications of Bisbenzimidazoles

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are one of the most common structural motifs in approximately 80% of the marketed drugs. Of these, benzimidazoles analogues are known to elicit a wide spectrum of pharmaceutical activities such as anticancer, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral, antifungal as well as chemosensor effect. Based on the benzimidazole core fused heterocyclic compounds, crescent-shaped bisbenzimidazoles were developed which provided an early breakthrough in the sequence-specific DNA recognition. Over the years, a number of functional variations in the bisbenzimidazole core have led to the emergence of their unique properties and established them as versatile ligands against several classes of pathogens. The present review provides an overview of diverse pharmacological activities of the bisbenzimidazole analogues in the past decade with a brief account of its development through the years.

Dual-responsive luminescent sensors based on two Cd-MOFs: rare enhancement toward acac and quenching toward Cr2O72−

Two luminescent Cd-MOFs were employed as dual-responsive luminescence sensors to detect acac and Cr₂O₇²⁻ through turn-on and turn-off mechanisms.

Selective chromogenic detection of cyanide in aqueous solution - Spectral, electrochemical and theoretical studies

A bisimidazole ensemble (R) possessing naphthoquinone as signaling unit is synthesized and characterized using ¹H and ¹³C NMR and LC-MS spectral techniques. Anion sensing behaviour of the receptor has been investigated using electronic and fluorescence spectral techniques. The receptor exhibits a striking colour change from yellow to brown selectively with cyanide in aqueous HEPES buffer-DMSO (1:1 v/v) medium with a detection limit of 1 μM. Job's continuous variation method suggests that the stoichiometry of the interaction is 1:2 (R:CN^-). The binding constant for receptor-cyanide complex was found to be 8.7 × 10² M^-1. The mechanism of detection of cyanide occurs via deprotonation of imidazole N-H protons, which is well supported by electrochemical study. DFT based theoretical calculations shows that the energy gap between HOMO and LUMO decreases from 3.3086 (in R) to 1.7799 eV (in R + CN^-), which is responsible for the red-shift observed in the UV-Vis spectrum of R upon addition of cyanide ions. The present quinone-bisimidazole based receptor shows few advantages over similar bisimidazoles reported elsewhere.

A series of Mn(i) photo-activated carbon monoxide-releasing molecules with benzimidazole coligands: synthesis, structural characterization, CO releasing properties and biological activity evaluation

Five Mn(i) photo-activated carbon monoxide-releasing molecules were synthesized by reactions of MnBr(CO)₅ with L1–L4, and characterized via single crystal X-ray diffraction, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, IR, UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy.

A highly selective fluorescent and chromogenic probe for CN- detection and its applications in bioimaging

In this study, 3-ethyl-2-methylbenzothiazolium iodide and nitrophenyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde were used to synthesize a new fluorescent and chromogenic dual channel signal cyanide ion probe M, which showed high selectivity towards CN^- analysis and strong antijamming capability towards other anions. When CN^- is present in the solution, probe M indicates an obvious blue shift in UV-vis absorbance spectra, which can be observed clearly by unaided eyes. The limits of detection (LODs) of CN^- based on fluorescence and UV-vis absorbance were 0.11 μM and 0.16 μM, respectively. The mechanism of fluorescent and chromogenic cyanide ion detection refers to the nucleophilic addition of cyanide ion to carbon atom of -C˭N- in the benzothiazole. The π-conjugation and ICT transition between furfural and benzothiazole were broken due to this non-reversible reaction, resulting in the color change and fluorescent characterizations. In addition, probe M also showed the excellent optical properties and high biocompatibility, which enables the practical application of CN^- tracing in biomedical systems.

A Mitochondria-Specific Fluorescent Probe for Visualizing Endogenous Hydrogen Cyanide Fluctuations in Neurons

An ability to visualize HCN in mitochondria in real time may permit additional insights into the critical toxicological and physiological roles this classic toxin plays in living organisms. Herein, we report a mitochondria-specific coumarin pyrrolidinium-derived fluorescence probe (MRP1) that permits the real-time ratiometric imaging of HCN in living cells. The response is specific, sensitive (detection limit is ca. 65.6 nM), rapid (within 1 s), and reversible. Probe MRP1 contains a benzyl chloride subunit designed to enhance retention within the mitochondria under conditions where the mitochondria membrane potential is eliminated. It has proved effective in visualizing different concentrations of exogenous HCN in the mitochondria of HepG2 cells, as well as the imaging of endogenous HCN in the mitochondria of PC12 cells and within neurons. Fluctuations in HCN levels arising from the intracellular generation of HCN could be readily detected.

Reaction-based fluorescent probe for detection of endogenous cyanide in real biological samples

Herein, two compounds (1 a and 1 b) were rationally constructed as novel reaction-based fluorescent probes for CN(-) by making use of the electron-withdrawing ability of the cyano group that was formed from the sensing reaction. Notably, this design strategy was first employed for the development of fluorescent CN(-) probes. The experimental details showed that probe 1 a exhibited a fluorescence turn-on response to CN(-), whereas other anions, biological thiols, and hydrogen sulfide gave almost no interference. The detection limit of probe 1 a for CN(-) was found to be 0.12 μM. The sensing reaction product of 1 a with CN(-) was characterized by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. TD-DFT calculations demonstrated that the formed cyano group drives the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process from coumarin dye to the cyano group and thus the original strong ICT from the coumarin dye to the 3-position pyridyl vinyl ketone substituent is weakened, which results in recovery of coumarin fluorescence. The practical utility of 1 a was also examined. By fabricating paper strips, probe 1 a can be used as a simple tool to detect CN(-) in field measurements. Moreover, probe 1 a has been successfully applied for quantitative detection of endogenous CN(-) from cassava root.